Crucial UDF meeting today

THIRUVANATHAPURAM:  With the selection of Ministers running into a major controversy within the Congress, the UDF is holding a crucial meeting on Monday to decide on the IUML demand for a fifth Cabinet berth and to finalise the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.The Congress is facing a Herculean task of having to first set its own house and that of the Front’s in order as the Cabinet-formation has triggered widespread resentment both within the party and the Front.With the IUML still sticking to its demand for the fifth Cabinet berth, the Congress is finding it hard to resolve the crisis.If the Congress concedes the IUML demand, then it would be faced with another daunting task of pacifying K M Mani who is gunning for the Speaker’s post.The Congress is not ready to either accept the demand of the IUML or grant the Speaker’s post to any of the constituents.It is almost certain that G Karthikeyan of the Congress will be the Speaker and the Congress will be ready to give only the Deputy Speaker post to KC (M).But it will be difficult for Mani to accept this offer due to the internal bickering in his own party.Mani wants to properly accommodate P C George, who is not ready to accept anything short of the Speaker’s post.If the Mani faction is forced to settle for the Deputy Speaker’s post then Prof N Jayaraj will be its nominee and this would trigger another bout of infighting in the KC (M).The IUML leadership will be putting forward its demand for the fifth Cabinet berth during Monday’s UDF meeting and a patch-up formula on this issue is highly unlikely to evolve.According to some Congress leaders, Monday’s meeting will be taking a decision only on the Speaker and Deputy Speaker posts.The decision on the Cabinet expansion will be taken only later.With the Assembly meeting on June 1 and the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker scheduled for the very next day, the Congress will be trying for an amicable settlement rather than going in for a confrontation with UDF constituents.The election of the Speaker is crucial as it is done through a secret ballot and any resentment shown by a single member from the ruling front would prove costly for the Congress.

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